The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver is the first book in The Giver quartet, but I feel like these books need to be addressed one by one because they are so different. The second book is nothing like the first one. There are some slight connections, but they are hard to pick up on and easy to miss. The third book connects to the second book and to the first book slightly at the end. The fourth book, Son, which I actually haven't read yet and will read after I finish The 5th Wave, I've heard ties all the books together and connects them all beautifully. I can't wait to read it and find out for myself.

I loved this book! I watched the movie first but I definitely recommend reading the book first - it's pretty similar to the movie but a lot better (aren't they always?!). It's a shorter novel, and I read it in just a few hours (but I read pretty quickly).

Here's the blurb for those of you that haven't heard of this novel before:
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns 12, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. 

There is little to no violence in the book, although there are some disturbing scenes where a character euthanizes a baby and elderly people in the head with a needle. In this dystopian society, anyone who is deemed unfit is "released" - it's seen as a happy, relieving event for the elderly, certain babies, and rule-breakers, but in reality, they are killing innocent people. Jonas realizes the value of human life and sees the consequences of a society that has no love or values.

Sexual content is extremely minimal. There is no kissing, although Jonas experiences feelings and "stirrings" towards girls for the first time at some point in the novel, but I remember it being very minimal. The teens bathe the elderly and nothing is described. Since the characters have no feelings, the teens don't feel grossed out and the vulnerable elderly aren't insecure.

I really loved this book. It was a fun read and easy to get through. The writing is creative and descriptive. In Jonas's world, there is no conflict or misery. But, there is also no love or happiness. I love this book because it very obviously depicts the importance of feelings, and personality, in society. We need sadness, anger, happiness and love in society because they work together to develop us as human beings. They make us unique as individuals, and I love how this book portrays that so clearly by the end.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I was really considering whether or not to review these books....since the movies based on the books are now completed, and with all the other dystopian books increasing in popularity, I feel like The Hunger Games' time may be over...but my mom reminded me that preteens who haven't read the books yet might be "coming of age" and wanting to see what all the fuss is about, so a younger generation might be interested in reading this trilogy. That makes me pretty happy, to think that The Hunger Games isn't going out of style!

Although Lois Lowry "began" the young adult post-apocalyptic excitement with her novel, The Giver, I think Suzanne Collins is who made the dystopian genre so popular. Here's the blurb, although I'm pretty sure everyone in the world knows what The Hunger Games is about!

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - but survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. 

Although Suzanne Collins' first series was a New York Times bestseller, it's little known today, but it's also really good. I'll be reviewing her first series soon - be on the lookout for a blog on The Underland Chronicles. The Hunger Games books are amazing and I have loved them since I read the first page when I was babysitting my cousins one night.

Everyone who knows me personally knows my OBSESSION with The Hunger Games...especially several years ago, the first time I read the books, before the first movie came out.
Yes, that's right....I have read these books multiple times. I have read all three Hunger Games books about four-five times in the span of a single year and every once and a while, I'll read my favorite parts again here and there. I read the books to myself, then I read them to my sister (except the last one; she read that to herself), then I read them to my dad, then I read them to my grandma. Overall, I've read the first book four times, the second one five times, and the third one three or four times.
Yes, you could call that an obsession.

There is quite a bit of strong violence and gore in these books. That's what the Hunger Games are all about . . . children fighting and killing children. There's no sexual content, a few kisses and romance in each book, but nothing beyond that. In the third book, a character reveals that the evil, controlling Capitol used him as a sex slave pretty much and tells his story, but it's not graphic like some books can be.

I love these books (as if you couldn't already tell ;)). Throughout the book, Suzanne Collins displays terrific writing by using long, complex sentences mixed with short, punchy ones to convey Katniss's thought process in an elaborate and believable way, throughout all the books. Violence and gore are the biggest reasons why this book wouldn't be suitable for younger children, otherwise it's quite appropriate given it's genre. I love how fictional it is while still displaying disturbing parallels to today's society.